this is your heart (can you feel it)
by Paint Splat
Summary: When Reyna moves into her new apartment, she isn't expecting to like her new neighbour as much as she does. But then again, she wasn't expecting Annabeth Chase.


_A/N: Just some quick mortal!AU Reynabeth to please your femslash needs. This is unbeta'd and all mistakes are my own. I do not own these characters._

* * *

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Jason asked as they finished unloading all of Reyna's boxes from his van. Reyna wiped her forehead with her hand and smiled at him. Even after all these years of being friends, Jason still couldn't shake his big brother instinct.

"I'll be fine, Jason. have you really forgotten the time I beat you in that arm wrestling contest already?" Reyna flexed her muscles jokingly. "I'm a big girl now. I can handle it."

She started to lift a box into her arms labelled "Big Heavy Books" and brushed away Jason's attempts at helping her. "You stay right here, sunshine."

After half an hour of heavy lifting while Jason sat in his van listening to Oasis and drinking iced tea, Reyna was starting to regret not asking for Jason's help. Then again, the boy was too smug for his own good, and she could do this all by herself even if it killed her.

"Having fun, Reyna?" Jason said jokingly as Reyna finally finished taking everything upstairs into her new home. Reyna's purple t-shirt was drenched in sweat and she cursed the fact that it was so hot today. Her long dark braid was sticking to the back of her neck and she tossed it over her shoulder angrily.

Jason grinned and she couldn't help but smile back at him. He had been a part of her life for so long, first as a childhood friend, her first minor crush, and then her roommate of many years. It felt a bit strange to be leaving him behind and starting a new chapter of her life, even though he only lived about half an hour away.

"Well, this is it," she said, shrugging her shoulders and stuffing her hands in the pockets of her black shorts.

Jason wiped fake tears from his eyes. "My baby girl, all grown up, moving in on her own, I can't believe you're ready for this." A fake sob exploded from him and Reyna chuckled.

"You sound like a dying fish," she commented dryly. Jason smiled at her.

"They grow up so fast," he said, before wrapping her in a giant bear hug. It was boiling hot and Reyna probably looked like shit, but it was still a great hug.

"Are you gonna be okay on your own?" he whispered in her ear.

"I'll be fine," Reyna said before they untangled.

"I still feel guilty for kicking you out."

"You didn't kick me out, I chose to leave," Reyna joked, "and besides, you and Leo need your space, and I need to sleep without having to wear earplugs because you two are going at it again."

Jason blushed bright pink, as he did when Leo's name was mentioned. Reyna couldn't believe he still did that after three years of their relationship, but she guessed that's just how you were with love. It was weird.

"See you around, Reyna," he said before wrapping her into another quick hug and getting into his van, Oasis blaring loudly from the speakers.

"House-warming party next Saturday, okay? I'll bring booze because you sure need it!" Jason exclaimed, before the drove off with a wave. Reyna was left alone, standing on the sidewalk in front of her new home in the blistering heat of a July afternoon. She turned to look at her new apartment, surveying the top floor of the building with pride, and then looked at the lower floor with interest. She knew next to nothing about the woman who lived on the ground floor except that her name was Annabeth Chase and she was 25, just like Reyna.

Reyna took one last look at the house before going inside once again. It was time to unpack.

* * *

An hour later Reyna had already changed her shirt twice and had resorted to standing half-naked in her apartment surrounded by stuff she'd unpacked but not yet put in its place, cutlery and books and everything imaginable scattered around her dark brown wooden floor. Reyna was thankful it was cool against her feet, and she thanked God for the air conditioning.

Reyna walked to the other side of her apartment and stared out the window, resolving herself to the fact she was going to be eating on a paper plate sat on top of a cardboard box, and sleeping on a mattress laid on the floor of her bedroom. It wasn't ideal, but she was just going to have to wait until it got cooler so she could unpack in a peaceful stress-free environment.

She pulled on a fresh purple t-shirt (she really needed to expand her wardrobe) and grabbed a fresh can of Coca Cola and made the decision on the spot to go on a break, maybe sit outside for a bit and just watch cars go by. She grabbed a folded-up deck chair and smiled; she was glad it was going to come to some use. Though it was boiling there was a steady breeze and the birds were singing, and it was a nice day for sitting outside and just enjoying a good book. She had a study on ancient Roman military strategies she had meant to start, and today seemed like just the day for it.

She headed down the stairs barefoot and set up her chair in the shade of a tree growing on the lawn, its branches heavy with lush green leaves. The sky was bright blue, almost glowing and Reyna turned to the front page of her book.

It was nice to finally put her feet up. No responsibilities, no one bothering her ... This was just the way Reyna liked it.

* * *

The breeze was cool against her face and Reyna found herself closing her eyes and setting her book down, just letting herself relax. It had been a long day, and she deserved this.

She found her mind wandering back to her elusive new housemate, Annabeth Chase. It appeared like she hadn't been in all day, and Reyna hoped she wasn't the type to come in noisily at three in the morning. Would she be the type who played her heavy metal music loud, or the type who barely ever used her apartment? Maybe the type who threw a lot of parties that Reyna was never invited to?

"You're on my lawn." A raspy, feminine voice that sounded like it hadn't been used in hours broke her out of her thoughts.

"It's my lawn too now," Reyna replied and opened her eyes to see what Annabeth looked like. She was a tall blonde, skinnier than Reyna but just as muscular, in an orange tank top and denim shorts. She had a pile of books heaped in her arms and her grey eyes showed no emotion, except for maybe a small amount of curiosity as she surveyed Reyna.

She smiled, then, and Reyna felt something inside her awaken. Annabeth had an unusual smile, her mouth turning up at the corners in a way that made it seem almost as if she was laughing at you silently.

"You must be Reyna. I'm Annabeth Chase. I would shake your hand, but - " Annabeth shrugged in reference to the books in her hands.

"I understand. It's nice to meet you. Do you ..." Reyna licked her lips, suddenly unsure of what she was doing. This was unusual. "Do you need any help with that?"

Annabeth kept smiling at her and Reyna found herself inexplicably smiling back. She liked Annabeth, even though they had only been talking to Annabeth for a few minutes. She liked Annabeth a lot.

"Roman military, huh? Are you a history fan, or a military fan?" Annabeth asked, ignoring her previous question and somehow managing to get her keys out of her pocket. Reyna noticed an Oasis key-ring hanging from the bunch of keys and smiled. Jason would be proud.

"Both actually." Annabeth gestured for Reyna to follow her in and Reyna tentatively followed her indoors, placing her chair in the hallway and walking into Annabeth's apartment.

"I studied history in college, and then I was in the military for a while. Then circumstances arose, and now I work at a library. What about you?" Reyna asked, observing Annabeth's apartment. It was set up much in the same way as Reyna's, except Annabeth had several pictures hanging on the walls, of buildings and skylines and blueprints. She had a vast collection of books, and her apartment was cluttered, filled with so many trinkets Reyna found it hard to keep track of where she was.

"I'm an architect," Annabeth said, gesturing to the blueprints on the walls, and Reyna detected the hint of pride in Annabeth's voice, and she knew that Annabeth had worked hard to get where she was now. She admired that.

"That explains the mess," Reyna joked as she followed Annabeth into the kitchen, which was equally filled with cookbooks and pictures. Annabeth laughed, one short, sharp chuckle that made Reyna feel like she had eaten rocks, but in a good way.

"Do you want a beer?" she asked, and Reyna nodded. They clinked their glasses together and Reyna took a sip of the cool beer, noticing how the sunlight came through the window and set Annabeth's grey eyes alight, made her hair shine golden like a fairy-tale princess.

There was silence for a minute, comfortable silence, something Reyna never thought could happen with a stranger. The again, Annabeth didn't feel like a stranger. She felt like a friend.

"Can I ask what happened? With, you know, the - " Annabeth began to say.

"With the military," Reyna finished for her, and Annabeth looked away; Reyna could tell she was nervous, as if she'd gone too far with their first meeting.

"It's okay. Everyone asks, one way or another. I got shot." Reyna's hands rested on the edge of her stomach, just above her hip. "I went back into service, but I got shot again. This was last year." Reyna's hand crept higher, resting on her rib. "I wanted to continue, but it just ... wasn't working out for me. I had a commitment to keep, but then that went down the drain. I moved in with my friends, but they need their own space now. So, here I am." Reyna shrugged, and caught Annabeth looking at her intently, her grey eyes staring into Reyna's.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Annabeth said quietly, taking another sip of her beer. Reyna shrugged again. She wasn't used to talking about this with anyone but Jason, and Jason was different. He was there, he knew what it was like. Annabeth was different, yet she still felt like she could talk with her, connect with her. They were so similar, in some ways. Reyna had never felt this kind of easy connection with anyone but Jason before.

"I'm just glad I survived twice. I'm one of the lucky ones in that sense. In others, not so much." Reyna finished her beer and looked at the clock. It was getting late. The sun was setting, dusting pinks and oranges across the cornflower blue sky. She should probably be heading back upstairs.

Reyna smiled at Annabeth. "Thank you, for the beer and ... " She looked into Annabeth's eyes and knew that Annabeth understood.

"My amazing wit and charm?" Annabeth suggested, and they laughed together, Reyna surprised at how natural this felt.

"I need to head back upstairs. I still have some stuff to unpack. But I'll see you soon?" It wasn't meant to be a question, but Reyna's voice phrased it as one out of it's own accord, and Annabeth nodded, biting her lip.

"Listen, I know you've just moved in and you must be busy, but do you want to get coffee with me tomorrow? I know a couple of good places in town we could go to," Annabeth said. Reyna smiled at her.

"That sounds great," she said, and Annabeth smiled back, "So, does three o'clock sound good to you?"

"That's fine," Annabeth said, still smiling, as she led Reyna to the door. "So, it's a date. See you tomorrow, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano."

Reyna was left standing in front of Annabeth's closed door, left torn between wondering how Annabeth got her full name and wondering why she loved the way Annabeth's mouth curled around the syllables of her name.

She sighed and headed upstairs, unlocking her door and stepping into her apartment, running a hand through her hair and thinking about all the lost time she'd have to make up for with her unpacking.

She caught her reflection in the mirror hanging up in the hall and stared, shocked. Her face was dusted with a light pink blush, slowly getting redder the more she looked at it and the more she thought about Annabeth's voice, soft and sharp at the same time.

She ran Annabeth's last words through her head once again. _So, it's a date_.

She grinned at herself in the mirror. A while ago, she would've hated this blush, hated this feeling she could like she'd been struck with lightning, but now she found she didn't mind it so much.

She guessed that's just how you were with love.

* * *

_A/N: Please review and tell me what you thought! Constructive criticism is encouraged. _


End file.
